1976 United States Grand Prix West
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 3 of 16 in the 1976 Formula One season | |||
 |
|||
| Date | March 28, 1976 | ||
| Official name | 1st United States Grand Prix West | ||
| Location | Long Beach, California | ||
| Course | Temporary street course | ||
| Course length | 3.251 km (2.02 mi) | ||
| Distance | 80 laps, 260.08 km (161.60 mi) | ||
| Weather | Hot and sunny with temperatures reaching up to 70 °F (21 °C); wind speeds approaching speeds up to 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||
| Time | 1:23.099 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Clay Regazzoni
|
Ferrari | |
| Time | 1:23.076 on lap 61 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Ferrari | ||
| Second | Ferrari | ||
| Third | Tyrrell-Ford | ||
The 1976 United States Grand Prix West was a Formula One motor race held on March 28, 1976, in Long Beach, California. The race was the third round of the 1976 Formula One season and the first new race to be added to the calendar since the Brazilian and Swedish Grand Prix were added in 1973. It was the second Formula One race held in California, the first being the 1960 United States Grand Prix at Riverside, only 50 miles away. The race was held over 80 laps of the 3.251-kilometre street circuit for a total race distance of 260 kilometres.
The race was won by Swiss driver Clay Regazzoni in a Ferrari 312T by 42 seconds over team mate and championship points leader, Austrian driver Niki Lauda. French driver Patrick Depailler finished third driving a Tyrrell 007.
Italy was the first country to host two Championship Formula One races in the same year in 1957. The United States would become the second as the first USGP West at Long Beach, California, appeared on the 1976 F1 calendar, along with the long-standing autumn race at Watkins Glen, New York. The new race's organizers, headed by British businessman and Long Beach resident Chris Pook, could not have done a better job in their attempt to create an 'American Monaco.' An unending list of former Champions was present for the weekend's vintage race, including Denny Hulme, Jack Brabham, and Juan Manuel Fangio himself. Dan Gurney and American Champion Phil Hill were also in attendance after helping to conceive and promote the event.
...
Wikipedia